Process of preparing product from acetylene-plant waste and the like



Patented a. 23, 192s.

UNITED STATES 1,688,542 PATENT OFFICE.

DOUGLAS M. HARRISON, OF DORMONT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNO R, BY MESN E ASSIGN- MENTS, TO MCKENZIE MORTAR COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

rnocnss or rnnrnnmernonuc'r rnom AGETYLENE-PLANT was'rn AND ran nrxn.

No Drawing.

This invention is an improvement in the process of preparing waste liquor from acetylene plants which-is described in the copending application, Serial No. 687,01fi, .filed.

. January 18, 1924.

The chief object of the invention is to produce a base material which is substantially free from deleterious substances, whereby stucco, plaster, mortar, water-proofing and finishing materials maybe made from the resultant product; and in addition the secondary products when utilized with cement to form concrete and the like will not have i a deleterious efl'ect upon the same, or at least less than that of the equivalent amount of lime, such as streaking or skinning.

Another object of the invention is to produce a materlal from waste of the general character indicated which will have substantially uniformit of color and which will be free from skin- 'orming tendencies.

The chief feature 'of the invention consists in the process of preparing waste qfthe general character indicated in a manner. which will produce a product having substantial uniformity of color and which will be substantially free from certain deleterious substances. v

Briefly, the'process consists in adding to the waste material a suitable quantity of a substance of such'a nature toproduce aproduct having certain characteristics when the mixture is heated and then heating the mixture for producing such a product by driving ofi certain undesirables and for se arating from the mass other undesirab es, either by causing the same to. rise to the top where it may be skimmed or by causing it to I be precipitated to the bottom where it may 40 be drawn; or bysecuring both forms of separation simultaneously or successively.

Waste sludge from acetylene plants is usually discharged as a creamy l1 uid, and this liquid is usually collected and t e water con- 5 tent evaporates, leaving a dirty grayish prodiict in paste or solid form, depending upon the moisture content. The waste sludge usually is collectedin dumps and the dr waste can be readily powered, by rubbing t e same between the fingers.

this form, it is collected, reduced to a powder, and screened to remove the undesirable products, such as trash and the'like. .A'fter the desired product is received in arelativegas ly pure. and powdered form, a suitable'quan- 'always be obtained by the use of the same When the waste is in' Application filed July-5, 1924. Serial No. 724,541.

t1ty of water is added thereto to form'a mass having a. consistency a little thinner than paste. To th1s mass is added a suitable quantity of a suitable substance of such a nature that when the mixture is heated it pro duces a product having certain characteristics. Calcium chloride has been found to be one of such suitable materials. The mixture is heated to ebullition. There is discharged from the mass certain undesirable materials 05 which pass off in the boiling. Other undesirable materials collect upon the top of the mass and are skimmed therefrom. Certain other undesirable materials are precipitated to the bottomof the mass and are drawn therefrom, leaving the mass in relatively pure state. The resultant product is of a paste-hkeconsistenc and of a uniform gray color, which upon rying assumes a white color. The resultantproduct, therefore, is suit able for lime substitution wherever lime is utilized and it will produce a plaster which does not have what is known as a skin effeet when the base is prepared as aforesaid. L1kew1se, slnce there is secured a base with uniform color, the purchasers, such as the plaster contractors and stucco contractors, can be certain that a predetermined color can proportions of pigment and base at any time.

When the waste sludge from the acetylene plant 1s not in dry form, powdered or unpowdered, the same is in liquid form. This may be received from a storage basin or may be received directly from the plant to a flame pipe or' chute. ,In this event the liquor is put through a screening process to remove the foreign matter, such as trash and the like and the screened liquor is then assed through a dehydrator, which maybe 0 an type, and herein the following form of de ydrator is suggested, since there 'is little or no cost of operation involved. Such a dehydrator ma be of the filter type, either slow or rapid san and the same separates from the liquid the water content and dischar es the same and retains upon' the top "of tie filter bed the sludge or paste-like precipitate. This pastelike precipitateis then collected in an suitable manner and to the same is added t e calcium chloride material and heat is then applied to the material. The calcium chlorideacetylene plantwaste mixture is the same,

howsoeveaobtained, so that for the purpose ii.

I acetylene plant is received.

[The resultant material may then be incorporated with other materials as set forth in the co-pending application .to which reference has been madepreviously to form commercially useful products having a high commercial value and which can .be produced for a relatively low cost.

The invention claimed is: 1. The process of treating waste carbide sludge material consisting of adding to the material calciumchloride, and heating the calcium chloride mixture to ebullition for .driving from the same certain undesirables.

2. The process of treating waste carbide sludge material consisting of adding to the material calcium chloride, heating the mixture to separate the same into a plurality of strata, one of which consists of the resultant 

